Mar 23, Colombo: The Presidential Commission Investigating Cases of Missing Persons (PCICMP) in Sri Lanka has decided to indefinitely postpone the handing in its interim report to the President Maithripala Sirisena.

The report has already been finalized and it was to be handed to the President on the 18th of this month.

However, the Chairman of the Commission Justice Maxwell Paranagama has told the Lankapuvath National News Agency that the presenting of the report to the President will be postponed indefinitely.

As the President is busy with enormous amount of duties, the Commission has decided to postpone its meeting with the President.

However, the official has said that the PCICMP report will be handed over to President Sirisena before the publication of the report of UN OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) into alleged war crimes.

It will be up to the President to decide whether to submit the report to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), or to act according to a domestic legal framework, he added.

If after reviewing the report, President decides to take legal action, the PCICMP will direct the report to the Attorney General's Department for further investigations as needed, Justice Paranagama has informed.

He said the President has the authority to take a unilateral decision whether to send the report to Geneva or to take action domestically.

Since the Establishment of the Commission on 15th August 2013, the Commission up to date has received in excess of 20,106 complaints inclusive of approximately 5,000 complaints from relatives of missing security forces personnel.

The three-member Commission, comprising Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama as Chairman, Mrs. Priyanthi Suranjana Vidyaratne and Mrs. Mano Ramanathan, has been given the authority to conduct inquiries and investigations necessary, and submit a report to the President.

The Commission will hold next Public Sittings in Ampara District from 6 to 9 of April 2015.

According to the PCICMP Chairman, since every six months the mandate of the Commission has to be renewed, it owns the authority to operate till August 15, 2015.